The Venice Kitchen: polenta and schie

Venice is a city rich in history, art and tradition. You can get lost in its calli and campielli in search of architectural details, historical references or even its magnificent views. You can visit the most renowned museums or discover the most sought-after art galleries. We also recommend you to take the time to discover its culinary traditions: a journey rich in unique flavours where you will taste the cuisine so loved by the Venetians. The influences that have permeated the Venetian capital over the centuries have helped to create a mix of unique flavours throughout the world, which satisfy even the most demanding palates.

Of course, fish is king. In bacari (the typical Venetian taverns) as well as in the most renowned restaurants you will find many dishes with cod, cuttlefish, sea bass, sea bream and all other native species.

In our magazine’s first date with Venetian cuisine, we have decided to share the secret of a simple, but also, tasty recipe which can be made for a Christmas celebration or on any occasion and will be much appreciated by your guests.

Schie: the typical shrimp of the lagoon

Schia is a term that in the Venetian dialect denotes a small person and for this reason is used as the name of the typical lagoon shrimp, which measures on average from 3 to 5cms (sometimes up to 9 cm.) It has a greyish colour and is found in the lagoon between Venice and Trieste especially during the winter months.

According to our culinary tradition, schie are served in various ways, but one of the most famous is certainly polenta with schie.

Polenta and schie: the recipe

We asked the help of our Chef for this quick and easy recipe that you can try to reproduce at home: enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 people

500 g of schie
400 g of soft polenta
Extra virgin olive oil 100 ml
Garlic (1 clove)
Brandy 10 ml
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Parsley
2 liters of water
200 gr corn flour
30 gr butter

Method

For the soft polenta:

Bring a litre of water to the boil, add the salt and the polenta. Cook over a low heat for a few minutes, stirring continuously. Meanwhile, boil the remaining litre of water and, when the polenta has absorbed all the cooking water, add a ladle of boiling water and continue stirring, as you would for risotto, for about 30 minutes. Finally, stir in a knob of butter and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

For the schie:

While the polenta is cooking, wash and blanch the schie in water and lemon for 2 minutes, once cool, peel them one by one: given their small size it will take a lot of patience, but it will be worth it.

In a non-stick pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil with the crushed garlic and chopped parsley, then add the schie and simmer for one minute with a drop of brandy.

Once cooked, add salt and pepper and serve by placing the schie on the soft polenta.

Buon Appetito!